Trip to Our New State

Our last morning in MD started with a pancake and bacon breakfast made by my mom with a fire going in the fireplace. My sister, Jason, and Holden came over around 7 to join in the fun, and I was super thankful to enjoy one last meal with my family.

The cousins played and ran circles around Nana's house. We (and by we, I mean Luke) did some last minute packing into the van, and then the good-byes began. I've done pretty well until Saturday morning, only crying on occasion. Having a pretty normal life routine up through Friday made me less likely to think about the big change actually happening.

But it was time. My dad teared up, I cried, my sister and my mom cried. And I know more tears will come over the next few months as I adjust to being away. Living the day to day life with my parents had its hard moments for sure, but overall, it was a great time. We were well taken care of (also spoiled- my dad took our van in to get the oil changed and filled up the gas tank), and I had so much help from my mom with the kids.

We put the kids in the van, gave my parents one last hug and hit the road just after 8 a.m. as planned. Luke squeezed my arm as I cried more tears, and then I got myself thinking about what was ahead. I looked online for fun things to do with the kids in TN, texted with my SIL down there, and asked Luke some fun marriage questions.

Clara fell asleep fairly quickly (after waking me up at least 5 times the night before), and the big kids played with some crayons, listened to the Moana soundtrack, and talked amongst themselves. We made a quick stop at the Starbucks in Mt. Airy and then didn't stop again until Clara started fussing and we saw a Chick Fil A ahead. We pulled over around 10:45 for an early lunch and a break from the car!

We hit the road again around 12 and right away the big kids were asking for their tablets. We told them they had to wait until 2:00 (which in Noelle's words was taking forever!) but they managed to get by listening to some adventures in Odyssey and a Paw Patrol book and some princess stories on CD. Clara fussed for a bit, but fell asleep again and we pushed through until another bathroom break was needed.

We found a Subway, grabbed dinner, and stretched our legs. From there the kids played on their tablets and Clara slept until we reached our NEW house around 8 p.m. (TN time.) We unloaded the kids and showed them their rooms. They were so hyped up from all the excitement that they didn't go to bed until almost 10.

Overall the kids did so well on the drive, and I just hope it gets easier for them on the many trips we'll make up to MD!